First letter to a 3 year old

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Hi all,I recently got matched with a 3 year old little boy in Uganda through a Compassion outreach at Colour Conference. I didn't expect such a young child so I'm having a little trouble coming up with how to introduce myself etc.I've seen a couple posts that suggest colouring pages etc but I would really like to connect and get to know my little lad - would you suggest writing a little bit to him and then a longer letter to his parents/caregiver?

Does anyone have an example of a letter they sent to their child that is also the same age?

I would write a letter to the child in simple language --realizing it will be read to the child from a parent or other caregiver so they will "hear" the letter as well. And the child will likely re-read as she gets older as well. I am currently looking to sponsor and most of the children I am deciding between are between ages 1 and 3 so I've been thinking about this quite a bit. But I teach 3 year olds at church so I have some idea of children that age. It also makes a big difference if the child is just-turned-3 or almost-4. This is still the age where big strides are made every year

Thanks for your response, Sarah!I just double checked and realised that Amon is actually 4...for some reason his profile still has him listed as being 3. Weirdly enough, writing to him suddenly feels a little less daunting! I just didn't want to have my letters go completely over his head if you know what I mean,

Sidenote: Compassion, is this possible to be updated? His ref number is: UG2270500

Hi Susan, that's really strange! That's the number I copied and pasted from the online profile. Does it make a difference if I sponsor through Compassion UK? His full name is Amon Musinguzi and his project is UG-227.

Hi Samantha! You are correct. Since you sponsor this child through Compassion UK, you will need to ask them directly to fix this issue. Regrettably, we do not have access to their accounts. You may contact them via phone at 44- 1932- 836490, email info@compassionuk.org, or visit their website at www.compassionuk.org. I hope this is helpful!

Also, in your response to your question below, hand-written and online letters do take roughly the same amount of time to be processed, so it is just a matter of preference! :) Good luck writing!

When two of my sponsor kids were 3, I wrote to them like I talked to 3 year olds I babysat. You can't go wrong with bright, encouraging, simple language to the child, and more in depth conversation with the parent who will write back with more questions for you.

Briana, thank you! You mentioned having a more in depth conversation with the parent...did you write two letters at a time then or include both conversations together?
Did you use the online letter submission or write them out yourself. I know my nieces who are 4 would much prefer handwritten letters but I don't want to hold things up if the online way is quicker for it to reach him!

I include both conversations in the same letter for efficiency, but I know a lot of people do write two letters.

I also write online for efficiency, although you have a very good point about children preferring handwritten letters and I feel I should make a point of writing handwritten letters. There are benefits to both methods, in my opinion.

Hi Samantha, you can actually have the best of both worlds, if you have a scanner at home. Your account has an option to scan your handwritten letter yourself. On the "choose a template" section of the letter writing screen, you can choose "letter", "card", or "upload." I always use the "upload" option to upload a jpeg of my handwritten letter. This way, my kids can get a handwritten letter as quickly as one written online. :)